The numbers come as the White House makes an aggressive push both to implement the law and sell its benefits to the public. A plurality of voters — 49 percent to 44 percent — approve of the way President Obama is handling his overall job, according to the poll.

A narrow majority also approves of the federal government’s delaying for one year the requirement that companies with 50 or more employees provide health insurance for them or pay a fine.

But 48 percent say the delay means the law is so flawed it should be dropped and 46 percent say it’s just something that happens when changes are made to a complex system.